The fight had gone out of the mob, and they began to disburse and return to their homes. The legions were busy surveying the damage caused by the fires. Some buildings had collapsed, and there were, unfortunately, several deaths. However, the rain had saved the city, thus averting a greater tragedy. Thayn led the men, and the newly reunited Avdlak family back to the docks.
The Halder ships were not far out to sea, so they could be signalled to return. While they waited on the jetty, two full centuri approached. They could hear the marching feet and saw them approach in formation through the street that led to the docks. Thayn turned to Orn. “You want to take this? Shufi hasn’t returned yet. I give you leave to handle it. However, I will intervene if you step wrong.” He grasped his shoulder briefly and smiled at him before moving back.
“I shall see what I can do.” He then walked toward the first centur as Thayn readied the men behind him. In the voice, Orn asked, “Why the show of force? We are leaving.”
The shock of hearing the young man’s voice everywhere, feeling it within them made their marching falter. Hesitating, the men stopped short of stepping onto the jetty. They did so without the command of their leaders. Such an action would usually result in harsh rebuke, but the leaders of the units felt it, too. A commander rode to the front of the formation, and looking down at Orn, “You and all of your men will throw down your arms and surrender to me.”
“And why would we do that?” Orn asked in response.
“Because if you do not, then you shall die, here and now.”
Orn closed his eyes and spread his arms out in a lifting motion as hundreds of head-sized spheres rose from the water, elongated and froze into large ice spears, pointing toward the commander and his men. “You may wish to reassess that assumption.” As he spoke, he launched several ice spears in succession at the feet of the commander’s horse, forcing him back with each strike. “I do not wish to harm you or your men, good sir. We just want to leave in peace. For me, water is a weapon, and as you can see, here it is abundant. Please, take your men and go.”
The commander, visibly shaken, was resolute regardless. “I’m afraid I cannot. You and your men are guilty of a multitude of crimes, and it is my duty to apprehend you dead or alive.”
“Come down from your horse. Let us talk like men, and see if we can find a solution that is good for all of us.”
The commander looked as though he would retort, but hesitated. He then gave a curt nod of his head and dismounted. As he approached, Orn asked the commander, “Do you think you can tell your men to stand down, or at least have them move back? We wouldn’t want any unfortunate accidents while we talk.”
“And you? What about these…” The commander waved his arm about indicating the ice spears. Orn waved his hand, and the spears dropped back into the water they had come from. The commander waved over his second and gave him instructions to march the men back twenty paces.
“I am Orn Avdlak. This gentleman here is my uncle, Prince Thayn, Duke of Skord. To whom do I have the honour of speaking with?”
The commander blanched a little, learning that he was in the presence of a country’s ruler. However, he kept his composure and introduced himself, “I am Commander Tersus Cana of the Disipica town watch.”
“Now that we have that out of the way, may I ask why you have come here to detain us?”
“I had received word that foreign soldiers had attacked our city, set fire to buildings and killed some of our citizens and watch soldiers, but…the reports were…odd. That is why I am seeking to apprehend and investigate rather than just attack. I just thank Agrippa for the rain. It could only be her work that saved us. The timing of it leaves no doubt.”
Gereld had landed and as he approached Orn, he said, “You have no idea how right you are, Commander.”
“What did he say?” Tersus asked Orn, while eying Gereld cautiously.
“Oh, just that you are right. Agrippa brought the rains to save you. If you ask me, I think you should close off the city to outsiders for a time, and thoroughly investigate. Every entrance, by road and by sea. We did not start those fires. We were attacked, and merely defended ourselves.”
“Why did you come here in force?”
Orn moved around beside the commander and pointed to his father. “See that man there?” The commander nodded, and Orn continued, “You probably know him as ‘Black Bear’.”
The commander flashed Orn a look of recognition as he went on. “He is my father. Taken from our home by Nevan slavers, who burned our village, slaughtered our people, and forced him to fight in the pit arena. We came to retrieve him.”
Mswali looked uneasy as the commander cast his eyes on him. “And what of that Gijeji? Do you take a slave in revenge? He belongs to Flavius, who has lodged an official request for the apprehension and return of his property.”
“Oh, you mean the man who was in possession of captives taken in violation of a treaty that could cause a war that the Nevan Empire would surely lose? That Flavius?”
The commander swallowed uncomfortably and conceded, “Your point is well made, and to be perfectly honest, gladly received.”
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“Let’s just say he was a kind citizen who offered his help as a guide to help us navigate your fine city, and leave it at that, yes?”
“But Gijeji are not citizens.”
“Oh, well, it won’t matter that he comes with us then.”
The commander looked at him with an incredulous smile and asked, “How Old are you, Your Highness?”
“Oh please, it’s just Orn. I am fourteen. Why do you ask?”
“You are big for your age, but I could tell you are not yet grown. You are a shrewd one, and I think you are a young man to watch.” The commander then shook his head as he shrugged and laughed. “Very well. You are leaving so I shan’t keep you. I think I will take your advice and restrict access to the city for a time.”
The commander offered Orn his hand, which Orn took. “Thank you, commander.”
“Safe travels your…eh, Orn.”
The commander then moved towards his men and commanded, “Occhulum Disipica, aduva VACCHIUM!”
As this was occurring, the ships to carry the Haldermen had returned. Orn Stumbled slightly, his face pale, skin clammy. The emotions he fought to keep at bay during the confrontation flooded back into him with a vengeance. He steadied his breathing and gathered himself before joining with his family while they hugged each other. They had finally done it. They had their father back. They were whole again.
Mswali was standing off to the side, looking awkward, when Vylder pulled back and said, “Sorry, Mswali. This is my family, my wife Venna and my two sons, Erik and Orn.” They all nodded and smiled at him. Then Vylder added, “This is Mswali. We were captives together. They tried to make us kill each other, but we refused and now we are brothers.”
Thayn approached and said, “Apologies for intruding on this moment, but we need to decide where we go from here. There are certain things that we need to find answers to. I have a feeling that this will not be the end of it.”
“I agree,” said Vylder. “But I can offer very little, as I have, er…been away for a time.”
Thayn chuckled at that and responded, “That is understandable. We will ride together on Jarl Sigtrin’s ship with Shufi and Gereld so that we can figure out what our next course of action should be. It will also be a splendid opportunity to bring you abreast of all that you have missed.”
“A sound idea.”
With that, they boarded Sigtrin’s ship and moved out to sea. The ship put up the signal to hold water, after they were a short distance from Disipica.
Venna took Vylder into the covered section of the ship to speak with her husband alone. Erik sat down with Selti, who was fussing over the cut on his head, and Brenda sat next to Sigtrin while they gathered around to decide what to do.
Thayn began by outlaying his thoughts. “We should go to Raugus and pick up our people, Sir Uhter and his men, along with the Praetor. Then we should rejoin the fleet and head to the Nevan capitol and confront their leadership directly.”
Jarl Sigtrin was about to say something when Vylder’s booming voice interrupted, “Orn? Engaged? Who? Where is she? I want to meet her!” Everyone fell silent as they listened to the couple. Orn was blushing while the other faces displayed a mix of embarrassment and interest.
“Calm down! It’s a little more complicated than that. I said that she told us that Orn is hers. Besides, this girl…as I said, my love, it’s complicated. In the end, though, it is up to Orn. Anyway, why are we talking about this abstract, there’s other more pressing matters to…” Their voices lowered in volume again, and the crew and others returned to their business lest they become obvious in their eavesdropping.
It was recent knowledge that this family, at the centre of these current events, had a connection to the royal family. One’s status among one’s peers could improve if one had juicy gossip about the family of their rulers. A universal dynamic in monarchic societies. Thus, they were now as much a target as the rest of the royals.
Orn and the others exchanged brief, awkward looks before Mswali cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I…” He paused, unsure of himself. Having learned the Halder language from Vylder, he was aware of who he stood amongst, and mere hours ago, he was a slave.
Thayn looked at him curiously, waiting. Mswali decided he should not speak out of turn, so he lowered his eyes and said, “I am sorry, I should not speak.”
“No! My father declared you his brother. You are Halder now. You will speak,” Erik declared seriously, to which Orn nodded in approval.
“I was say that we go Raugus then Paqurineva…this journey take many time. We need supplies. More than is room in ship.”
Thayn laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “I guess you are now my brother too…well, sort of. Anyway, do not worry about time and distance. I think this will not be an issue.” Then he smiled as he tapped the side of his nose.
Mswali looked at him curiously. “How your nose change time and distance?” This set everyone to laughing, with some of the nearby crew slapping him on the back, assuming he had made a joke at Prince Thayn’s expense. Mswali’s face took on a puzzled expression, but genuine mirth being infectious. He, too, began laughing along. Though he was still unsure why.
“Ah, that was good, ahem…where were we, ah yes. I think that is a good plan. The fleet can get underway at best speed, and we can catch them up,” said Thayn.
As Thayn was speaking, Vylder and Venna emerged with Venna asking, “What was all the hooting and laughing about?”
Thayn, who was still wiping an errant mirthful tear from his eye, said, “Ask your brother-in-law,” which, of course, caused them to laugh more. It was a cathartic moment, as all the stresses and worries melted away for the moment as they enjoyed the success of their endeavour.
The ships rendezvoused, and Orn conferred with Thayn and Gerald over charts of the Sofjorland strait, “I will control wind and the current for my ship, I will need you to control the current for your ship, and ensure that your ship stays ahead and to the right, so my sail doesn’t block yours. The rest of the fleet should go to…” Orn’s finger traced along the Holvelan coast, and then stabbed down, “…here, Penbach.” He looked questioningly to Thayn, who pursed his lips slightly as he looked at the chart before nodding his approval.
Orn then continued, “We’ll meet them there for resupply. It’s perfectly located on the Holvelan coast on the way to Paqurineva.”
“Sound plan. We wouldn’t want a collision at the speeds we will be going,” Gereld responded with a chuckle. He then turned to Thayn. “You should let your captains know to requisition any and all Halder vessels they come across in your name. We will want a sizeable force when we descend upon Paqurineva.” Thayn merely nodded in response.
Orn transferred over to the knarr that they had made ready to transport the knights and their horses.
“Wait, I want to talk to my son. Who is this girl who claims they are engaged to him? I need to know,” Vylder said.
“Well, go with him then. I will stay with Erik and Selti. We have their wedding to plan,” said Venna.
Thayn interjected, “I think you should hold off on discussing that. There is another wedding to consider first.” He then looked meaningfully toward Brenda and Sigtrin, who blushed slightly. “…and besides, I have a feeling that you can relax where Erik and Selti’s wedding is concerned…just a feeling.” He tapped her on the upper arm gently with a smug grin on his face, to which Venna rolled her eyes and smiled slightly in response.